


Coming home

by purplesan



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Ashe follows him, Ashe-centric, Dedue returns to Duscur after the war, Dedue's ending was too sad, Duscur, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Past Relationship(s), Reunions, Silver Snow/Verdant Wind alternate ending, Tragedy of Duscur (Fire Emblem), let's fix that, mentions of Dimitri death, mentions of unimportant oc's, silver snow, verdant wind
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-24 18:20:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22002373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purplesan/pseuds/purplesan
Summary: 'Dedue left.’ Ashe eventually broke the silence.‘He did.’ the professor whispered back, looking at him with understanding eyes.‘Are you going to look for him?’ she asked after a while, seemingly reading his mind. He wondered if her coming here had been a subtle hint from fate itself too.‘Do you think that is what I should do?’‘I’m not the one to decide that, Ashe.’ she replied softly. ‘You two seemed close, back then. I just thought…’‘Yeah.’ he whispered, trying to distract himself by watering the now properly planted seeds. ‘We were.’
Relationships: Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert/Dedue Molinaro
Comments: 6
Kudos: 78





	Coming home

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there, it's been a while! For those of you hoping I'll update my Bungou Stray Dogs fic soon-I will, I promise! Life got in the way, but I'm doing much better now ^^ (surprise; I'm not dead, oops)
> 
> For those of you who are new: welcome! This game has my heart and since there is a severe lack of Dedue/Ashe content out there...this happened. I hope you'll enjoy. Thank you for reading! <3

_“Dedue left with a look of loneliness on his face.”_ Ashe had heard someone say.

It left him with an ache in his heart to hear those words, if he was entirely honest. They had barely found him again; _alive_ , against everyone’s expectations, and now he was leaving already.

Not that he could blame him.

Dimitri had died. _Really_ died this time. No more surprise returns or unexpected reunions; Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd was dead, his body mangled and broken much like his mind had already been.

Dedue probably felt like he’d failed him.

Ashe let out a sigh as he looked at the flower seeds in his hands. He’d gone to the greenhouse in hopes of remembering the old days; the _easier_ days. When he and Dedue would spend hours just taking care of the flowers or cooking some foreign dish. _Maybe_ even the days where the man would press a soft kiss against his forehead and Ashe would be both flustered and incredibly happy.

He knew those days were forever gone now, nothing but a hazy memory in this country scarred by the war.

It was over now, with Edelgard dead, Rhea gone and Fódlan united once more.

And yet, Ashe thought, perhaps the _end_ of the war took its toll on people more than the actual war itself. Amidst all the fighting, there wasn’t any time to mourn or hurt or cry. It was only when that ceased that one would feel how deep the wounds actually were.

Quietly, he put the seeds into the earth. It didn’t really cause him to feel anything, a vast contrast to how much joy gardening had brought him back when they were still at school.

Ashe had managed to survive rather unscathed, if he had to judge from the professor’s tired face, Felix’ hollow eyes or Annette’s silence. That didn’t mean he wasn’t mourning anyone either. Lord Lonato’s death still haunted his dreams. Christophe’s face would still pop up in his mind whenever he saw someone playing around the monastery with their brother.

Still, with his brother and sister safely here and most of his friends alive, he didn’t want to complain. It didn’t seem fair somehow, despite how his heart ached and his mind screamed for him to let it all out.

Ashe was roused from his thoughts as he heard some rustling close by, but quickly calmed down once he realized it was just the professor.

‘Hey.’ she murmured, kneeling down next to him. Her eyes automatically wandered to the small seeds the young man had just put in the earth. He’d forgotten to actually bury them, he now noticed.

‘Hey.’

They sat in silence for a while, the professor finishing what he had started while he merely watched.

He remembered how Dedue would show him what seeds had to be buried in what manner too, and he hoped the professor wouldn’t notice his eyes becoming slightly glazed over.

‘Dedue left.’ he eventually broke the silence.

‘He did.’ the professor whispered back, looking at him with understanding eyes.

She too looked exhausted from the war, though he doubted that exhaustion would fade anytime soon with how she was so abruptly appointed ruler of Fódlan. It didn’t seem like that was what she really wanted in the first place, actually. Not with how she’d mercilessly had to cut down some of her own students to achieve peace.

Ashe hoped she would find her own peace too, eventually.

‘Are you going to look for him?’ she asked after a while, seemingly reading his mind. He wondered if her coming here had been a subtle hint from fate itself too.

‘Do you think that is what I should do?’

‘I’m not the one to decide that, Ashe.’ she replied softly. ‘You two seemed close, back then. I just thought…’

‘Yeah.’ he whispered, trying to distract himself by watering the now properly planted seeds. ‘We were.’

And they had been, Ashe noted, subconsciously touching the charm pinned to his chest. Once he felt the cold metal on his fingers, he looked down and felt a new wave of sadness overcome him.

Dedue had given him one of his earrings before he’d left the monastery together with Dimitri.

Dedue, who had so little to remind him of his homeland and had no reason whatsoever to give Ashe something so important (though the man himself would likely disagree), had given him one of the very few items he’d managed to take with him before leaving Duscur.

Ashe had wanted to cry. _Had_ cried, actually. Dedue had only smiled softly at him then, pinning it to his chest because he knew he would be unable to put it in his ear.

He’d worn it proudly, all this time.

‘It’s worth giving a try.’ his professor eventually murmured, realizing his mind had drifted off from the original question.

‘You think so?’

She smiled ever so slightly. ‘It always is.’

And perhaps, she was right.

* * *

Ashe didn’t feel any regrets as he soared trough the sky on his wyvern, Duscur set as his destination. In fact, it felt kind of liberating to be away from Fódlan for a little while. His brother and sister had thankfully understood, so here he was, in search of a man he wasn’t even sure would want to see him.

The fearful thought had crept into his mind a little while before his departure and refused to leave him alone. He wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

Dedue had left with good reason. What if Ashe following him would only bring back bad memories? Memories of a country that had taken everything away from him?

Ashe took hold of the charm on his chest and sucked in a deep breath.

 _“So we’ll be connected, no matter how far apart we may be.”_ Dedue had said. Surely he wouldn’t just change his mind about that, right? Ashe held on to that thought as he continued his flight.

No, the only regret he should have was not getting to see Duscur with Dedue right by his side.

They’d talked about it before. Dedue had said there wasn’t anything left aside from burned fields and collapsed homes.

Ashe had wanted to go anyway.

And he meant it. That place had been Dedue’s home, now merely a memory, and it felt so incredibly unfair. He wanted to learn about Duscur, about the memories Dedue held dear, about the culture, the customs; everything if it meant salvaging some parts of what had been lost. They couldn’t bring back Duscur to how it once was. That didn’t mean they’d have to let it disappear into obscurity altogether.

Ashe sighed as he held onto his wyvern a little tighter. They were almost there, and the nerves were kicking in. What would he find there? If Dedue had gone back, maybe there were others too. The thought of people working together to rebuild their homeland wasn’t all that strange.

As if wanting to answer his question, Ashe was met with several arrows coming his way. He let out a surprised yelp, barely evading them, and tried to calm his wyvern down so they could get to safety.

The animal, clearly upset by the sudden ambush, managed to remain in the air, though it did seem very cautious now. Ashe looked around in hopes of finding his assailant, but was only met with more arrows. He held the reigns tightly and tried to evade them as much as possible, but the wyvern let out several displeased noises.

‘Careful now, We can-’ he tried reassuring the creature, but as more and more arrows kept coming their way, even his soothing voice couldn’t calm it down anymore. It flew through the air frantically, and the young man barely managed to hang on.

‘Shh, it’ll be okay, we’ll make it out alive…’ he tried, but winced in pain when an arrow struck his shoulder. No matter how hard he pulled the reigns now, the wyvern didn’t obey him anymore. It zigzagged through the air in blind panic, and Ashe could feel himself slowly slipping loose.

‘Please-’ he begged, feeling another arrow pierce his body.

Was this how he’d meet his end then? Shot down mere weeks after the war because of his own love-struck idiocy?

He felt himself becoming lightheaded, only noticing he was falling when it was too late already.

Tears prickled in Ashe’s eyes as he saw the ground approach.

_He just wished he had at least been able to see Dedue one last time again._

* * *

_‘Just how long do you intend to sleep for?’_ Ashe heard an unfamiliar voice asking him in the distance. He wanted to respond, but his head hurt, his shoulder hurt, and his body felt like it had dropped from several feet high.

Only after a few minutes did it slowly begin to dawn on him that was exactly what had happened.

He let out a whine when he tried to move, opening his eyes only to be met with a blurred vision and more pain shooting through his body.

‘Easy there, kid.’ a woman’s voice told him. ‘You were injured pretty badly.’

‘Where am I-…?’ Ashe managed to bring out, trying to get his vision back to normal. He could feel he was lying in a soft bed, but only once he could see again did he realize he was in what appeared to be a small house. The owner of the voice he’d heard just now was standing next to him.

‘You’re in Duscur, kid.’ she said, throwing her long, dark hair over her shoulder. She had it in a braid, which reminded him of Petra a bit. Before he had time to get sad about that though, she spoke.

‘Do you remember how you got here?’

Ashe blinked and thought for a while. ‘I was…shot out of the sky…’ he murmured. At this, the woman laughed. He didn’t find it all that funny, but considering she’d likely been the one to help him recover, he didn’t say so.

‘Sorry about that.’ she said then, face turning serious once more. ‘I’m afraid that was my son’s doing. Or well, him and his friends to be more precise. It was their turn to keep watch at the border. We’re not very fond of Fódlan intruders.’

Fódlan intruders? What was she talking about?

‘You look confused.’ she stated as she gave him a glass of water. Ashe gratefully took it and nodded.

A sigh. ‘Do you want the long version or the short version?’

‘Long version is fine…’ Ashe replied. If he was going to get an explanation, he might as well get the full one.

‘Too bad, you’re getting the short version. If I tell you the long one now you’ll have forgotten half of it by lunch.’

Right.

The woman grinned at him and patted his (thankfully, uninjured) shoulder. ‘Some Duscurians returned here after the war in Fódlan ended. The land may be barren in most places, but there are still some small area’s left that are liveable. We’re trying to rebuild those specific areas.’

When she noticed Ashe was listening intently, she continued. ‘To keep intruders away, people are keeping watch at the border. After all the racist bullshit that went down in Fódlan, we were… _pretty_ done with the whole place in general.’ she explained. ‘We’re waiting to see how that new ruler will handle things. If she’s capable enough, we might choose to form an alliance after all.’

Ashe nodded softly. The thought of people shooting at him just because he was from Fódlan seemed almost surreal, though he couldn’t say he really blamed them for being angry.

He knew his old professor was more than capable though, so the idea of proper peace (the one where people from Duscur wouldn’t be shut out despite what the authorities said), was nice.

‘I’m afraid they might have been a bit harsh on you.’ the woman continued. ‘They would have left you there too if it wasn’t for that little trinket on your chest.’

That confused him for a second, before his eyes widened in realization and his hand flew to his chest. Once he established Dedue’s earring was in fact still there, he let out a relieved sigh.

‘Oh kid, no. You misunderstood.’ the woman said guiltily. ‘They didn’t take it as a bounty, as you can tell. It’s the symbol.’

Ashe carefully took it in his hand to get a closer look at it. He did recall Dedue telling him about the earring’s deeper meaning in Duscur, though that was long before he’d even given it to him.

‘Long story short; the symbol originates from Duscur. That’s how they could tell you had at least _some_ sort of ties to the country. After that they brought you here and I patched you up.’ she finished her story. ‘Which begs the question…what _are_ you doing in Duscur?’

Ashe bit his lip and looked down. ‘I am…looking for someone.’

A knowing glint appeared in the woman’s eyes. ‘And who might that be?’

‘He’s-…well, the one who gave me this.’ The young man explained, holding up the earring. ‘Dedue Molinaro.’

‘Can’t say the name rings a bell.’ she said, somewhat disappointed. Then she let out another sigh. ‘Well, just get some more rest and then you can continue your search hm? How does that sound?’

Ashe smiled softly and nodded. ‘Thank you.’

‘No problem, kid.’

* * *

Though it took several more days for Ashe to get back to health, he didn’t hesitate to set out on his search again once he did. He thanked the woman profusely, and despite his insistence on owing her, she made sure he knew they were even.

It _had_ been her son that had shot him out of the sky after all.

His wyvern was mostly unscathed as well, having waited for him in the field next to the small wooden house. He was glad about that, considering how frantic the creature had been upon being shot at.

Right now, he was walking through yet another makeshift village, one of several areas the woman had showed him on a map. Or perhaps the word “camp” more accurately described the setting. In most places, there was a collection of tents and wooden houses, making it clear the place was still under full construction. People were working hard to rebuild their homeland, and for some reason it made Ashe’s fingers itch to help out too.

Only a few areas of the country were actually salvageable, but he was fully set on visiting every single one until he’d found Dedue.

If the man wasn’t in Duscur, he had no idea where else to search, and that thought frightened him.

Ashe looked around the village and sucked in a breath. Some people gave him dirty looks, and he was reminded of the way some people at Garreg Mach had looked at Dedue all those years ago.

Duscur and Fódlan still had a long way to go before they’d be able to reconcile.

The young man let out a sigh as his eyes scanned the map in his hands once more. This was the third village he’d visited, and he was kind of beginning to lose hope. He asked around in every single one, most people willing to help when they noticed the symbol pinned on his chest, yet no one had yet been able to point him in the right direction.

It was like Dedue had vanished from the earth, nothing but a memory in Ashe’s mind and heart. Soon, it would be like he’d never even existed.

Not that Ashe was going to let that happen. He fully intended on keeping Dedue’s memory alive, wherever he may be.

With a sigh, he returned to his wyvern once more.

Time to visit the next area.

* * *

Ashe’s patience finally paid off in the fifth village he visited.

‘Dedue? Oh yeah, he’s staying in the house just over that hill there. Likes to live quietly, I heard.’

Ashe ran as quickly as his feet would allow him.

He’d found him. Probably. Maybe.

_Hopefully._

Anyway, there was a slight chance that soon he’d have Dedue in his arms again, finally able to tell him everything he still wanted to say, able to hold him close and kiss his lips and-…

Ashe paused when he reached the small house. There were some crops and flowers in the garden, and it made Ashe happy to think the man hadn’t given up the things he loved even when life had knocked him down so cruelly several times.

It also made him wonder if he was still part of those things too.

Ashe stood there nervously for a few minutes, contemplating what to do. Knocking seemed so simple, and yet right now it also felt like an impossible task.

Maybe Dedue hadn’t wanted him to follow at all. Why else would he have left without so much as saying goodbye to him? Maybe Ashe was just a fool, in love with the memory of a man from more than five years ago.

Maybe he wasn’t the same. Not that he needed to be, because Ashe was far from the fragile boy he’d been five years ago himself, but-…

What if his feelings had changed?

The young man swallowed the lump in his throat and took a few steps forward. No, he’d come all this way. He couldn’t back out now.

His breath hitched in his throat when saw a familiar face through the window. The owner of said face hadn’t noticed him yet, far too busy chopping up whatever vegetable it was he had on the counter, but all he had to do was look up.

So it really was Dedue.

He felt so close all of a sudden.

Ashe blinked away the tears threatening to form in his eyes and took a deep breath.

He could do this.

He could do this.

He could-

A woman appeared next to him, putting a hand on Dedue’s arm and smiling up at him. Dedue smiled right back, looking happier than he had seen him in quite some time.

Ashe’s heart sank.

Oh.

Of course Dedue wouldn’t be waiting for him.

How could he have possibly dared to hope he would have been? How could he have possibly been foolish enough to think Dedue wanted anything to do with Fódlan after everything that had happened?

(Wanted anything to do with _him_?)

He was frozen on the spot for a good while, merely able to look on as the woman smiled, and Dedue smiled, and looked so content and warm and happy and Ashe-…

Ashe felt out of place. He wasn’t needed here.

What had he thought? That he could swoop in and be the light in Dedue’s life after he’d lost literally everything?

Saying it like that felt naïve and incredibly silly.

The woman looked up through the window then, spotting him. She looked confused, though her smile didn’t fade.

Ashe turned on his feet and made his way out of there.

He felt like he was intruding.

Maybe he was.

There was some rustling behind him, and he swiftly increased his pace. He had to get out of there. He felt nauseous, maybe even a little heartbroken, and incredibly stupid.

‘Ashe!’ he heard an all too familiar voice call out, and it was as if his body stopped all by itself. He cursed himself for stopping, cursed his heart for wanting to _stay_ , even though his mind was screaming _run_.

Quietly, he turned around.

The first thing he noticed was that Dedue’s eyes weren’t as lifeless as before and his hair was getting longer.

‘H-Hi.’ he managed to bring out, looking at the other man with an embarrassed look on his face.

_He shouldn’t have come._

Dedue could only stare at him as if he was witnessing water burning.

That is, until the woman appeared from behind him and crossed her arms.

Oh Goddess, this was it. This was the part where she’d ask who he was, and Dedue would have to tell her all about his past and he’d remember all the sad things and Ashe will have ruined the new life he’d wanted to start here in Duscur and he’ll hate him and-

‘This is Ashe.’ Dedue breathed out, still not averting his gaze.

The woman’s eyes widened slightly, before her expression turned into an even warmer smile than before. ‘So _you’re_ the one Dedue kept talking about.’

_Huh?_

What did she just say?

And was that-…was that a…a _blush_ on Dedue’s face?

Ashe was so confused right now.

The woman smiled again. ‘Well? Aren’t you going to greet each other properly?’

He really wanted to cry when Dedue wrapped his arms around him almost timidly, scared perhaps that he would not return the embrace, yet unmistakably relieved to see him all the same.

Perhaps he hadn’t come in vain after all.

Ashe pulled Dedue closer in response, taking in the feeling of him after so long of being apart. In return, Dedue held onto him just a little tighter.

He had to admit he could have held on to Dedue for several more hours to come, despite eventually parting their hug. The soft smile the man gave him made this loss a little more bearable though.

‘Shall we go inside?’

* * *

The woman from before had been one of Dedue’s childhood friends, as it turned out. Neither of them knew the other had survived, but they’d reunited by chance after Dedue had returned to Duscur.

She’d briefly mentioned her name before leaving the two of them to catch up, but Ashe had a hard time remembering it due to how long and foreign it was.

He hoped she wouldn’t find him impolite.

‘…you came all the way here from Fódlan.’ Dedue spoke softly as he put a cup of tea on the table in front of Ashe. It was more of a statement than a question, as if he still had a hard time believing it.

Ashe nodded and gratefully took it. ‘I came looking for you.’ he replied.

‘And now you’ve found me.’

‘I have.’

Goddess this was awkward. He’d spent so much time focussing on finding Dedue, focussed entirely on just finally seeing him again, that he’d completely forgotten to prepare what he was going to say.

The people in his storybooks always had a quick response ready; knew exactly what to say in situations like this.

Ashe wasn’t like that at all.

‘Why?’ Dedue broke the silence for him.

Ashe looked down. The tea in his cup suddenly seemed rather interesting to look at so long as he didn’t have to meet the other’s gaze. ‘I…I’d hoped the answer to that would have been obvious.’ he murmured.

‘I would like to hear you say it, before making assumptions.’

The young man did look up at that. ‘I missed you.’ he admitted. ‘I care about you an awful lot. I lo-…lost you once and mourned for you.’ he said, changing his choice of words just in time. ‘I couldn’t bear that a second time. You came back against everyone’s expectations, but then you left right after, and I was so worried, and I missed you, and, and-…’

He fell quiet when he felt Dedue’s hand carefully stroking his cheek. He’d knelt down in front of Ashe’s chair so they’d be at eyelevel with each other, and the fondness visible in his eyes was almost enough to make Ashe cry again.

‘I’m not the same man I was five years ago.’ Dedue quietly told him.

'Neither am I.’

Their eyes met again.

‘Why didn’t you say goodbye to me?’ Ashe quietly asked. ‘Tell me you were going to Duscur, at least?’

Dedue seemed to think about his answer for a moment. ‘Goodbye felt too final.’ he eventually said. ‘Yet, after everything that had happened…I didn’t know what to say to you.’

‘I thought maybe you didn’t want to see me.’ Ashe admitted.

The other met his gaze with an almost guilty look in his eyes. ‘I didn’t mean to make you think that.’

It was quiet for a while.

‘Though I must admit I feared the same thing.’

‘What?’ Ashe asked, both confused and worried. ‘Why wouldn’t I want to see you?’

Dedue sighed and looked down, and Ashe couldn’t stop himself from running his fingers through familiar white locks. Not when they were being practically offered to him with the way Dedue was kneeling in front of him.

‘With His Highness gone, I was certain I had lost everything. It never even occurred to me you were still out there, waiting. It felt selfish to go and greet you as if I had returned for you, when in fact all I did was try and fulfil a dead man’s plea.’

‘I never expected you to come back just for me, Dedue.’ Ashe admitted. ‘I know how much His Highness meant to you. I didn’t mind back then, and I don’t mind now.’

Their eyes met then. ‘You mean a lot to me too though, Ashe. I owe His Highness my life. I owe you for filling said life with joy.’

The young man felt his breath hitch in his throat. ‘Oh.’

He positively felt like his heart was going to burst.

‘It’s not the same, but I do hope it will bring you some comfort, knowing that.’

Ashe felt Dedue slowly pulling away then, but he wasn’t ready for this moment to be over yet. He didn’t want this to be it. He was glad they’d talked about what had happened, but-…

‘I still love you, you know.’ he breathed out, feeling brave after the words just spoken to him.

‘Ashe…’

‘I mean it.’ he continued. ‘I don’t care how much you’ve changed. I have too. You’re a kind and gentle person. No amount of change could ever make that go away.’

‘How can you be so sure?’ Dedue asked him, sounding almost solemn.

‘I just am.’ he whispered in response, smiling softly. ‘Will you…will you let me find out?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Let me stay here.’ Ashe pleaded. ‘With you.’

Dedue sucked in a breath. ‘You’d want that?’

‘The people here looked like they could use an extra pair of hands anyway.’ the young man hummed. ‘And…I’d like to stay with you. For as long as you’ll have me.’

‘I’d like that.’ Dedue breathed out, looking almost relieved.

‘Good.’ Ashe replied, smiling at him.

‘Ashe-…’

The young man looked at him with a frown. ‘No more self-doubt, okay? I’m staying here, with you, because I care about you and I-’

‘-actually, I was going to ask if I could kiss you.’ Dedue interrupted him calmly.

…

Oh.

He couldn’t help but burst into a fit of happy giggles at that. ‘You may.’

When he felt the familiar press of Dedue’s lips against his, different because of the new scars he’d acquired over the years and yet still the very same, he felt perhaps things would eventually be alright between them.

**Author's Note:**

> I accidentally posted this fic when it was unfinished rather than saving it as a draft, and had a mini heart-attack. Guess I'm out of practise huh?
> 
> Anyway, thank you so much for reading!


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